Quote:
Originally Posted by Acajack
My sense is that the shift to the Blue Jays as the predominant MLB team in Atlantic Canada took hold sooner than 5-10 years ago. More like 20-25?
The shift to the Patriots as the predominant football/NFL team in the region is IMO fairly recent, though. And obviously totally related to their 21st century success. Despite their proximity I don't recall hearing about them much at all when I was a kid living in the Maritimes. There was *some* NFL interest for sure, but no specific team stood out.
I do remember the Boston Celtics and Boston Bruins noticeably having some fans though, likely for "regional" reasons. One of my teachers was a huge Celtics fans and often wore their gear. He was of Irish origin too, so that probably helped!
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Growing up on PEI, I noted the following affinities:
Hockey was definitely Montreal vs Toronto, and the fan loyalties to either team were as intense as Man City vs Man United. The Bruins weren't on the radar. They might have been more so in Saint John (Boston is a lot closer to them). I'm pretty sure Moncton was a Habs town.
Football was all CFL. The NFL didn't really register on PEI when I was a kid. I don't think any one team had a particularly loyal following.
Baseball was all Expos on PEI. Even after the Jays entered the league, it took them about 10 years or so to make any dent in the Expos following.
Basketball didn't register at all on the Island (except for the Harlem Globetrotters).